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Preparing Filet Mignon for Hot Pots

December 22, 2009 by Jennifer Che 7 Comments

This post is the second part of a mini-series anchored around the following post: A Culinary Tour of Hot Pots Throughout Asia.
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Filet Mignon for Hot Pot? 

Are you serious?

Yes I’m serious, and let me tell you.  It’s totally worth the extra cost.  It is soooo delicious.  It’s got the most buttery and soft texture.  You’ll never go back to supermarket pre-sliced hot pot beef.

If people are willing to dip Kobe Beef into hot pot, then filet migon really shouldn’t be a stretch, should it?

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I had recently discovered the amazing taste of filet mignon in Chinese hot pots.  My brother-in-law first introduced this awesome idea to us, and we have been hooked ever since. The first time I served it to dinner guests, it was the most popular item of the night! They couldn’t stop eating it!

Unfortunately for us, most Asian restaurants do not sell filet mignon pre-sliced into those thin slices that are ideal for hot pot. So, I had to take matters into my own hands.
_1000659
It’s virtually impossible to slice meat thinly when it’s at room temperature.  So, the first step is – freeze the meat.  It’s probably best to separate the meat out into manageable chunks before freezing.  I accidentally forgot to do this, and I struggled a bit in the beginning to chop up that huge hunk of frozen meat (see above) into manageable sized pieces (ideally about 3 inches by 4 inches or so – sliceable chunks).
_1000662
Once you have manageable pieces of frozen meat, take each chunk and, using a cleaver, slice away (see picture above).  The result won’t be as thin as what you’d get from a meat slicer, but it won’t be bad, and it will still be better than what you could have done with refrigerated meat.
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Finally, let it finish defrosting, and serve! There is probably a window of about 30-45 minutes in which you can work once you start defrosting the meat. If the meat gets too soft, it becomes hard to slice thinly. If it’s too frozen, well, it’s hard to slice at all.  Use your judgment.  Work relatively quickly, but don’t fret too much – you do have some time and you should be able to finish with no problem.  I was able to slice almost 3 lbs of Filet Mignon without having it get too soft.
_1000685
Most important tip!
Don’t cook this meat for too long in the hot pot!  Don’t EVER let it drop into the bottom of the pot and get lost (and then overcooked!)  That would just be TOO SAD! Instead, hold onto your meat (either with chopsticks or with a wire mesh spoon), stick it in the boiling broth, and swish it around for about 5-10 seconds.  Our waiter from Seryna in Tokyo taught us to swish the meat while chanting three times: “Shabu Shabu – Shabu Shabu – Shabu Shabu.”  Then quickly remove the meat from the broth, dip in your desired sauce, and enjoy.

Not sure if chanting is a foolproof method, but it’s fun to do.  In any event, the closer the meat is to being rare, the better it will likely taste.  🙂

Enjoy!

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Beef, Chinese, Recipe

« Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Culinary Tour of Hot Pots Throughout Asia
Seryna – Kobe Beef Shabu Shabu »

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Comments

  1. Fresh Local and Best says

    December 22, 2009 at 11:44 am

    That hot pot looks so good. I bet all of the fat that dissolves into the broth make it much richer.

    Reply
  2. Ravenous Couple says

    December 22, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    love the use of the little individual hand held colanders! A great series!

    Reply
  3. Marc says

    December 23, 2009 at 10:49 am

    I love these hot pot articles! It’s making me want to hop in the car to Allston and hit up the places there. Do you have a recommended recipe for the broth? Or will any good Dashi do?

    Reply
  4. Shannon says

    December 23, 2009 at 11:55 am

    ok, now i really want to try a hot pot!

    Reply
  5. GreenRanchingMom says

    December 31, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    Beautiful Post!! Just found your blog (thru SpainInIowa) and think its great!!!

    Cooking beef rare makes the best flavor for most steaks!!

    Reply
  6. Linda's Yummies says

    April 20, 2010 at 12:08 am

    Hot pot is one of my favorites! I try to have this at least twice month.

    Reply
  7. Large Pot says

    August 12, 2010 at 7:44 am

    Great! Thank for information, I’m looking for it for a long time,

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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